Five-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus.fulltext.all.10.rss
The Highlight Truthers Have Come for Steph Curryhttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2017/06/06/the_highlight_truthers_have_come_for_steph_curry.html
<p>After two lopsided games, the NBA Finals have been lacking for much competitive excitement or controversy. Sure, there have been more than a few <a href="https://twitter.com/LeBronTeam/status/871526007680884737">electrifying plays</a>, but each contest has been settled long before the final whistle. Fans and sportswriters who love to squabble over crunch-time play-calling, referee bias, and “the clutch gene” have been starved of precious take fodder.</p>
<p>But now, like a lone dandelion poking through a crack in the sidewalk, comes hope. In the third quarter of Game 2, Stephen Curry squared up against LeBron James and proceeded to shake and bake the Cavs forward with a merciless sequence of moves. It was <em>the</em> moment of the finals so far.</p>
<p>It was also maybe illegal.</p>
<p>A dribble ends, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_dribble#Official_NBA_rules">according to NBA rules</a>, when the dribbler “touches the ball simultaneously with both hands.” Once the dribble ends, the dribbler must not recommence dribbling. A violation of this rule—that is, a double-dribble—results in loss of possession for the offending team. In addition, the party responsible for the double-dribble is imprisoned in a federal penitentiary for a minimum of 20 years.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, the National Basketball Referees Association chimed in from its infallible, blue-checkmarked Twitter account:</p>
<p>“Stephen Curry Gets Away With Blatant Double-Dribble Against LeBron James,” <a href="http://cavaliersnation.com/2017/06/06/video-stephen-curry-gets-away-blatant-double-dribble-lebron-james/">howled the headline</a> at Cavaliers Nation. The usually staid and demure Mike Francesa chimed in to note that Curry’s post-infraction celebration proves he &quot;doesn't have a lot of class as a player.&quot;</p>
<p>I don’t know about you, but I too am <em>outraged</em>. In preparation for the launch of my GoFundMe campaign to raise money for my class-action lawsuit against Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors, and the NBA, allow me to list the myriad offenses on display during that shameful double-dribble.</p>
<p><strong>1. Kids are watching!: </strong>Millions of children look up to Steph Curry, so what does he do? He commits a violation that is as clear as day when the footage is <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/871555511723986944">slowed down </a>using&nbsp;the latest in high-speed camera technology. Back in my day, kids who wanted to “Be Like Mike” grew up to be police officers and small-business owners—the lifeblood of this great nation. Kids who want to &quot;Be Like Steph” will be too busy double-dribbing to keep our streets safe or bring jobs back to Main Street.</p>
<p><strong>2. Let’s see him try that in the ’90s!: </strong>If Steph had done that back in the NBA’s heyday, Charles Oakley would've smashed his hands with a hammer, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYa1IsxGVuc"><em>Casino-</em>style</a>, right there on the court, and the refs would have waved play on.</p>
<p><strong>3. There was also a three-second violation!:</strong> Warriors center Zaza Pachulia was clearly dilly-dallying in the paint as Steph put LeBron in the spin cycle. Repeated viewings with stopwatch in hand reveal Pachulia was in the painted area for roughly four seconds—a profound violation of one of basketball’s least-compelling rules.</p>
<p>Based on my in-depth analysis, the incorrigible Warriors are breaking a minimum of two NBA rules every time down the floor. When will this madness end?</p>
<p>Believe me, if I had access to a time machine, I would go back and prevent Steph Curry from ever being born. Sadly, at the rate at which time-travel technology is being developed, such a maneuver won’t be possible for at least another six-to-eight weeks. For now, we have no choice but to live in a world in which the Warriors won Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals by 19 points instead of 17.</p>Tue, 06 Jun 2017 21:54:00 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2017/06/06/the_highlight_truthers_have_come_for_steph_curry.htmlNick Greene2017-06-06T21:54:00ZSportsThe Highlight Truthers Have Come for Steph Curry226170606001sportsnbabasketballNick GreeneRing Don't LieRing Don't Liehttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2017/06/06/the_highlight_truthers_have_come_for_steph_curry.htmlfalsefalsefalseThe highlight truthers have come for Steph Curry:Did he double-dribble when he blew past LeBron James in Game 2?Getty ImagesSteph Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives with the ball against LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 4 in Oakland, California.U.S. Boxer Claressa Shields Is a Gold Medalist Again. Will Her Dominance Ever Pay Off?http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/22/u_s_boxer_claressa_shields_won_her_second_gold_medal.html
<p>On Sunday, Claressa Shields became the first American boxer to defend her Olympic title, winning a unanimous decision against the Netherlands’ Nouchka Fontijn. Shields, a 21-year-old who fights in the women’s middleweight division, is a thrilling, dominant fighter. And she knows it. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, she put her gloves in the air, beckoning Fontijn to do her worst. Fontijn, wary, took a few more swings. Then the fight was over.</p>
<p>Shields had spent the months leading up to the Rio Games telling everyone she would win the gold medal again, and when it became official, she threw her hands up in triumph and did a cartwheel. What will she do next? When asked in a post-fight interview, Shields said she didn’t know.</p>
<p>If an American male boxer won an Olympic medal, there would be no question about his next move. Muhammad Ali (<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2016/06/muhammad_ali_changed_his_name_in_1964_newspapers_called_him_cassius_clay.html">then known as Cassius Clay</a>) won gold in the 1960 games in Rome and turned pro later that year. Evander Holyfield won bronze in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and fought in his first pro bout that fall. Floyd Mayweather won bronze in Atlanta in 1996 and had his professional debut months later. U.S. bantamweight Shakur Stevenson won silver in Rio, and <a href="http://www.espn.com/olympics/summer/boxing/story/_/id/17359308/american-bantamweight-shakur-stevenson-leaves-pro-options-open">boxing promoters are already eyeing the 19-year-old</a>.</p>
<p>That Olympic-to-professional pipeline doesn’t exist in women’s boxing, however. As the <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/womens-boxing-fights-for-exposure-1467831552"><em>Wall Street Journal</em> wrote last month</a>, networks such as Showtime and HBO don’t show women’s fights. The purses for professional women’s bouts are also a fraction of what men make—four-digit prizes compared with the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2015/05/12/floyd-mayweather-paycheck-should-top-200-million-with-blockbuster-ppv-buys/#47f610f06842">millions men can earn in a single fight</a>. Because of the lack of exposure, sponsorship opportunities for female boxers are very rare. As Shields <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/hang_up_and_listen/2016/06/hang_up_and_listen_on_lionel_messi_s_possible_retirement_the_nba_s_big_foreign.html">told <strong><em>Slate</em></strong>’s Hang Up and Listen in June</a>, she “didn’t get any endorsements, any sponsorships” after winning gold in London in 2012. While she recently <a href="http://www.mlive.com/sports/flint/index.ssf/2016/04/watch_flint_boxer_claressa_shi_1.html">appeared in a Powerade commercial</a> and a <a href="https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AR6h/dicks-sporting-goods-gold-in-us">Dick’s Sporting Goods ad</a>, the deals have been few and far between.</p>
<p>According to Sue Jaye Johnson, one of the producers of <a href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/t-rex-her-fight-for-gold/">a documentary about Shields called<em> T-Rex</em></a>, the calculus about whether or not to turn pro is pretty straightforward. In boxing, “going pro” means accepting money for fighting. A boxer could accept endorsement deals and sponsorships and still qualify as an amateur. Few events, however, offer to pay women for boxing, and when they do, the sum is pitiable. Furthermore, Johnson says, many professional female boxers get only a few fights a year, often outside the United States. As an amateur, Shields would fight between 20 and 30 times a year, which, if nothing else, means more practice.</p>
<p>Right now, there’s no real incentive for Shields to give up her amateur status because it would cost her her Olympic eligibility, and she would get nothing guaranteed in return. In June, in an effort to make boxing more exciting, the International Boxing Association, or AIBA, ruled that male professional boxers could compete in the Olympics if they qualified through special AIBA-sanctioned events. The decision did not extend to women, presumably, Johnson says, because women’s professional boxing is more or less a nonentity. So, if Shields were to start fighting in pro events, she would be unable to compete in the Olympics. That is, unless AIBA extends the professional-fighter allowance to women’s boxing. Shields is keeping this possibility in mind. Before Shields’ gold-medal bout in Rio, a columnist for the <em>Detroit Free Press</em> asked her about turning pro. <a href="http://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/jeff-seidel/2016/08/20/rio-olympics-flint-claressa-shields/89063384/">She said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
I don’t know. I haven’t even thought that far ahead. It depends on the opportunities that come here. If they allow professional women to come back, maybe I’ll go pro and then I’ll come back and still fight in 2020 and 2024. But it depends.
</blockquote>
<p>In a press conference, U.S. coach Billy Walsh was asked if there was enough money in women’s pro boxing to lure Shields away from the Olympic team. According to the <em>Detroit Free Press</em>, he said:</p>
<blockquote>
We will do everything we can to hold onto her. We will be making some changes after this games. We will be sitting down with them and negotiating and hopefully we can hold onto her for another Olympiad. That would be fantastic for the program and fantastic for USA boxing. Hopefully, we would have enough finance to make her have a decent life and fight as an amateur.
</blockquote>
<p>As it is, per Johnson, Shields gets about $5,000 a month from USA Boxing. Unless a promoter were to invest in Shields, guarantee her televised fights, and use her growing fame to try and get women’s professional boxing off the ground, it’s unlikely that going pro would be a better option for Shields than retaining her amateur status and her spot on the U.S. team. Her place in history, as one of the best women’s boxers in the world, is secure. Whether she will ever reap the benefits of her dominance, however, is yet to be determined.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.slate.com/topics/r/rio_olympics.html"><strong><em>See more of Slate’s Olympics coverage.</em></strong></a></p>Mon, 22 Aug 2016 23:54:00 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/22/u_s_boxer_claressa_shields_won_her_second_gold_medal.htmlLaura Wagner2016-08-22T23:54:00ZSportsU.S. Boxer Claressa Shields Is a Gold Medalist Again. Will Her Dominance Ever Pay Off?226160822002rio olympicsLaura WagnerFive-Ring CircusFive-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/22/u_s_boxer_claressa_shields_won_her_second_gold_medal.htmlfalsefalsefalseU.S. boxer Claressa Shields won her second gold medal. Will she turn pro?If an American male boxer won an Olympic medal, there would be no question about his next move.1519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930615190011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930615190011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930615190011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO5093061519001Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty ImagesClaressa Shields during the medal presentation ceremony following the women's middleweight final bout at the Riocentro Pavilion 6 in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.Who Did It Better: Olympic Rhythmic Gymnasts or the Harlem Globetrotters?http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/22/olympic_rhythmic_gymnasts_vs_the_harlem_globetrotters_who_did_it_better.html
<p>Rhythmic gymnasts do not get the airtime or the respect they deserve. They twirl ribbons, toss hoops, throw around clubs, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_(rhythmic_gymnastics)">do things with a ball</a> that few others in the world can match—except maybe the Harlem Globetrotters. In the video above, we compare the best rhythmic gymnastics ball routines from the 2016 Rio Olympics to the Globetrotters’ most-impressive tricks. Who did it better? Watch and see if you agree with our assessment.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.slate.com/topics/r/rio_olympics.html"><strong><em>See more of Slate’s Olympics coverage.</em></strong></a></p>Mon, 22 Aug 2016 16:48:00 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/22/olympic_rhythmic_gymnasts_vs_the_harlem_globetrotters_who_did_it_better.htmlShon Arieh-Lerer2016-08-22T16:48:00ZSportsWho Did It Better: Olympic Rhythmic Gymnasts or the Harlem Globetrotters?226160822001rio olympicsvideo recentvideo slate featuresShon Arieh-LererFive-Ring CircusFive-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/22/olympic_rhythmic_gymnasts_vs_the_harlem_globetrotters_who_did_it_better.htmlfalsefalsefalseOlympic rhythmic gymnasts vs. the Harlem Globetrotters—who does it better?Comparing the world’s best ball tossers and twirlers.1519028539001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_2pKN0AJTySft1Irx-gT62t509339741900150421249690011519028539001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_2pKN0AJTySft1Irx-gT62t509339741900150421249690011519028539001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_2pKN0AJTySft1Irx-gT62t509339741900150421249690011519028539001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_2pKN0AJTySft1Irx-gT62t50933974190015042124969001Watch Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Emerge From a Pipe at the Olympics Dressed as Super Mariohttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/21/shinzo_abe_showed_up_at_the_olympics_in_super_mario_gear.html
<p>During the Olympics closing ceremony Sunday night, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a guest appearance to promote the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But in what is probably a first for the head of a national government*, Abe showed up dressed as Mario, Nintendo’s iconic video game plumber. And, like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yos9HWCK_UU">Mario in 1985’s <em>Super Mario Bros.</em></a>, Abe arrived at the ceremony by traveling through a giant green pipe.</p>
<p>As <em><a href="http://kotaku.com/mario-stars-in-olympics-closing-ceremony-1785571543">Kotaku</a></em><a href="http://kotaku.com/mario-stars-in-olympics-closing-ceremony-1785571543"> reported</a>, the fireworks that closed this section featured the familiar music that plays at the end of a <em>Super Mario Bros</em>. stage:</p>
<p>In light of these developments, hopes are high that the International Olympic Committee will allow Helsinki to put in a late bid for the 2024 Games, so we get to see Finnish President Sauli Niinist&ouml; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angry_Birds">launched from a gigantic slingshot into a castle filled with green pigs</a>.</p>
<p><em><strong>Correction, August 21, 2016</strong></em>: <em>This piece originally misidentified the Japanese prime minister as the head of state. The emperor is the head of state; the prime minister is the head of government</em>.</p>
<p><strong><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/topics/r/rio_olympics.html">See more of Slate’s Olympics coverage.</a></em></strong></p>Mon, 22 Aug 2016 02:39:00 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/21/shinzo_abe_showed_up_at_the_olympics_in_super_mario_gear.htmlMatthew Dessem2016-08-22T02:39:00ZSportsWatch Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Warp to the Rio Olympics Dressed as Super Mario226160821003rio olympicsMatthew DessemFive-Ring CircusFive-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/21/shinzo_abe_showed_up_at_the_olympics_in_super_mario_gear.htmlfalsefalsefalseWatch Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warp to Rio dressed as Super Mario:Donald Trump also dressed up as Bowser, but it wasn’t for any particular reason.1519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50934251800011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50934251800011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50934251800011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO5093425180001NBCJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emerges from a Warp Zone.The Wrestling Controversy That Led a Mongolian Coach to Remove His Pantshttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/21/the_olympics_wrestling_controversy_that_led_a_mongolian_coach_to_remove.html
<p>If you somehow missed the bronze-medal men’s freestyle 65-kilogram wrestling match on Sunday afternoon in Rio de Janeiro, then, brother, you missed something really special. The match itself was fine. The aftermath, however, was one of the most memorable and bizarre spectacles of the 2016 Summer Olympics. It involved an early celebration, a penalty point, and two angry coaches stripping half-naked in protest, narrated all the while by two befuddled announcers who couldn’t believe their eyes. I can’t emphasize enough that you need to watch this for yourself. The timestamps below correspond to the timecodes on the NBCOlympics.com livestream, <a href="http://stream.nbcolympics.com/mens-freestyle-wrestling-65kg-97kg-medal-matches?chrcontext=citi">which you can find here</a>.</p>
<p><strong>1:32:39: </strong>With 18 seconds remaining in the bout, the judges award Mandakhnaran Ganzorig of Mongolia a seemingly decisive point, putting him up 7-6 over Uzbekistan’s Ikhtiyor Navruzov. A bronze medal is in sight for the Mongolian. This is a big deal—Mongolia has won just two medals in Rio.</p>
<p><strong>1:32:48: </strong>Navruzov’s coach runs on to the mat to protest the decision to give Ganzorig a point. “Ooh, very very unhappy there, and that’s going to not work out well at all for Navruzov’s coach, who’s been given a caution there and told to make his way off the mat and back to the coaching area,” the announcer says. “Clearly, emotions running very high in the concluding seconds of this bronze-medal final here.” And how!</p>
<p><strong>1:33:28: </strong>With six seconds left in the six-minute match, Ganzorig darts away from Navruzov. As the final seconds tick away, the Mongolian wrestler raises and shakes both fists in triumph. As Ganzorig evades and celebrates, Navruzov looks disgusted, raising his own arms in an incredulous gesture. The match ends. Ganzorig’s coaches embrace their man in exultant celebration.</p>
<p><strong>1:33:53:</strong> Hold on! The referee has awarded Navruzov a penalty point. The score is now 7-7. Do they now go into sudden death? Are there penalty kicks? No! The Uzbek wrestler wins <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/08/21/mongolian-wrestling-coaches-strip-to-protest-controversial-bronze-medal-match-defeat/">because he scored the last point in the match</a>. Navruzov wins the bronze!</p>
<p><strong>1:34:11:</strong> Navruzov emits a victorious scream. Why did he get the penalty point? “And that may be because Ganzorig Mandakhnaran was not engaging at the end, and refusing … was not actually making contact and was fleeing the hold,” the announcer speculates.</p>
<p><strong>1:35:03: </strong>Ganzorig’s coaches take to the mat to lodge a protest. Ganzorig kneels on the ground and buries his face in his hands.</p>
<p><strong>1:35:33:</strong> Off screen, someone—presumably one of Ganzorig’s coaches—starts screaming “Why him? Why him? Why? Why him? Why? Why? Why?”</p>
<p><strong>1:35:54: </strong>With a mighty “No!” one of Ganzorig’s coaches angrily removes his shirt and warmup jacket and flings them to the mat, to the great delight of the crowd. “And we have … an extremely dramatic scene here,” says the announcer.</p>
<p><strong>1:35:58: </strong>That coach, Byambarenchin Bayoraa, removes and throws his shoes. Another coach, Tsenrenbataar Tsostbayar, tries to restrain him.</p>
<p><strong>1:36:25 :</strong> The second coach, Tsostbayar, changes his mind and starts to remove his own shirt and jacket. Soon, both coaches are half-naked. The crowd goes wild. Tsostbayar is much less fit than Bayoraa. “This is wrong,” says the announcer. “We will not see these men again in international wrestling. There is no doubt about that.”</p>
<p><strong>1:36:50:</strong> Tsostbayar has now stripped all the way down to his tight black underwear. He pats his stomach and dumps his discarded clothes in a pile on the judges’ table. If he gets blackballed from wrestling, he can surely find a position on minor-league baseball manager Phillip Wellman’s coaching staff.</p>
<p><strong>1:37:14:</strong> Tsostbayar drops to his knees. “Get. Off. This is now absolutely ridiculous,” says the announcer. “Leave immediately.” These announcers are such narcs.</p>
<p><strong>1:37:33:</strong> The referee’s attempt to hold Navruzov’s hand up in victory is interrupted by Bayoraa, who has shown great discretion by <em>not</em> removing his pants. He is holding a single shoe. “The sport is bigger than this. This is the Olympic Games, gentlemen,” says the disgusted announcer. The crowd chants “Mongolia!” The crowd has the right idea here.</p>
<p><strong>1:37:51: </strong>Ganzorig comes to the middle of the mat to briefly embrace Navruzov. “That’s better. That’s good,” says the announcer.</p>
<p><strong>1:38:</strong> The d&eacute;tente is short-lived, as Ganzorig refuses to leave the mat. He drops to his knees and stares up at the sky. In the background, a man in a dark suit remonstrates with Tsostbayar, who is still in his tight black underwear.</p>
<p><strong>1:38:21: </strong>The judges award Navruzov another penalty point, bringing the final score of the match to 8-7 in the Uzbek wrestler’s favor. Ganzorig, still on his knees, still on the mat, defiantly shakes his head.</p>
<p><strong>1:38:44: </strong>Ganzorig leaves the mat. The official raises Navruzov’s hand in victory. Navruzov emits a hearty scream.</p>
<p><strong>1:38:58: </strong>Now Ganzorig too removes his top, meaning the entire Mongolian contingent is half-naked. He is also crying. This is really the worst possible way to lose an Olympic medal. Watching at home, Lindsey Jacobellis says she’s never seen anything so sad (probably).</p>
<p>“So there is now confirmation of the bronze medalist, after extraordinary scenes here in Carioca Arena 2,” says the announcer. “Scenes very much out of character with the rest of the wrestling competition here at Rio 2016. Scenes that have not at all fitted in with the way the program has conducted itself.”</p>
<p>Oh, hush.</p>
<p><strong>1:39:30: </strong>Navruzov’s coach slings the wrestler over his shoulder and takes him for a victory lap. Both men are fully clothed.</p>
<p><strong>1:39:40:</strong> In the background, Bayoraa throws his shoe at the celebrating Uzbeks. He misses. He drops to the mat in exhaustion.</p>
<p><strong>1:39:53:</strong> Tsostbayar has put on his pants.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.slate.com/topics/r/rio_olympics.html"><strong><em>See more of Slate’s Olympics coverage.</em></strong></a></p>Sun, 21 Aug 2016 20:23:00 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/21/the_olympics_wrestling_controversy_that_led_a_mongolian_coach_to_remove.htmlJustin Peters2016-08-21T20:23:00ZSportsThe Wrestling Controversy That Led a Mongolian Coach to Remove His Pants226160821002rio olympicsJustin PetersFive-Ring CircusFive-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/21/the_olympics_wrestling_controversy_that_led_a_mongolian_coach_to_remove.htmlfalsefalsefalseThe Olympics wrestling controversy that led a Mongolian coach to remove his pants:It involved an early celebration, a penalty point, and two angry coaches stripping half-naked in protest.1519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930300700011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930300700011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930300700011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930300700011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930358210011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930358210011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930358210011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930358210011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930367830011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930367830011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50930367830011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO5093036783001Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesMongolia's coaches protest the judges’ decision after the men’s freestyle 65-kilogram bronze match at the Olympics on Aug. 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.Olympics Jerk Watch: The Alleged Ticket-Scalping, Butt-Showing European Sporteaucrathttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/21/is_ireland_s_patrick_hickey_the_biggest_jerk_of_the_2016_rio_olympics.html
<p><strong>Name: </strong>Patrick Hickey</p>
<p><strong>Home country: </strong>Ireland</p>
<p><strong>Known for: </strong>Promoting the virtues of sport worldwide, allegedly scalping tickets, showing his butt to police.</p>
<p><strong>Why he might be a jerk: </strong>The 71-year-old Hickey is a member of the executive board of the International Olympic Committee and president of the European Olympic Committees, which makes him a very important person in the world sporting community. On Wednesday, Hickey was arrested in a Rio de Janeiro hotel room and charged with playing a part in a bizarre and lucrative ticket-scalping scheme in which Rio Games tickets allotted to the Olympic Council of Ireland were resold at high prices. Hickey allegedly used his status with Ireland’s Olympic committee to help “transfer tickets to an unauthorized vendor who would set high fees and disguise the transaction as a hospitality package.” <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/72bc107550c84085a22ab178930ebfc0/police-issue-warrant-ioc-exec-scalping-rio-tickets">According to the Associated Press</a>, the scheme involved “at least nine others” and may have brought in as much as $3 million in profits.</p>
<p>Far be it from me to look down on some good old-fashioned ticket scalping. We’ve all done it. We’ve all profited from doing it. The problem with Hickey’s situation, as <a href="http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/how-a-farcical-cocktail-party-triggered-the-humiliating-downfall-of-pat-hickey-34981992.html">the <em>Independent</em> of Ireland points out</a>, is that reselling Olympic tickets above face value is a crime in Brazil. Moreover, while I hate to be a square, it does feel like there’s a difference between reselling two tickets you bought yourself and allegedly reselling <em>hundreds</em> of tickets that you received via your role as a guardian of the so-called Olympic spirit. (Yes, I do hate myself for saying that.)</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/08/rio-2016-ticket-touting-scandal-olympic-council-of-ireland-denies-role">tickets scandal first broke early in the Rio Games</a>, when an Irishman named Kevin Mallon was arrested and charged with scalping tickets to the opening ceremony at exorbitant prices. The tickets had been sold as part of a so-called hospitality package that, <a href="http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/how-a-farcical-cocktail-party-triggered-the-humiliating-downfall-of-pat-hickey-34981992.html">according to the <em>Independent</em></a>, failed to live up to its name:</p>
<blockquote>
According to police, clients were told there would be a hospitality reception at the luxury Belmond Copacabana Palace hotel with champagne, cocktails and canapes. But on arrival, they were sent to the far less plush Next hotel, where they were served nibbles and fizzy drinks. …
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“This whole cocktail reception was just a farce. They were making it look like a hospitality event but that was all just a facade,” Barboza claimed. He said one group spent $60,000 on tickets.
</blockquote>
<p>Further investigation revealed that Mallon was in possession of many tickets that had been allotted to the Olympic Council of Ireland. <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/overtaken-by-events-shane-ross-makes-early-return-from-rio-olympics-1.2761077">According to the <em>Irish Times</em></a>, when Irish sporting minister Shane Ross suggested appointing an independent entity to oversee the investigation into the ticket scandal, Hickey “publicly resisted this, insisting that an internal inquiry was sufficient.” At the time, it might have simply seemed like Hickey was being possessive. Now, it’s clear he was trying to cover his ass.</p>
<p>But it turns out that he is very bad at doing that. <a href="http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0817/809935-rio-olympics/">According to <em>RTE News</em></a>, when police came to Hickey’s hotel to apprehend him, his wife told them he had already returned to Ireland. This was a lie: Hickey was still in the hotel, in his son’s room—and, <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3746272/The-humiliating-moment-high-ranking-Olympic-executive-arrested-naked-son-s-Rio-hotel-room-charged-ticket-touting.html">according to the <em>Daily Mail</em></a>, he was naked and “showing his buttocks” when the police eventually found him. Now, he is in a Brazilian jail, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37142619">sharing a cell with Kevin Mallon</a>, denying the charges against him.</p>
<p>Hickey is a former international judo competitor who parlayed his reputation in that relatively obscure sport into a long tenure as a high-ranking sporting administrator in Ireland, Europe, and the world. Did I mention that <a href="https://www.olympic.org/mr-patrick-joseph-hickey">his tenure has been long</a>? Hickey has served with the IOC since 1995 (he’s been an executive board member since 2012), has been president of the <a href="http://www.eurolympic.org/en/">European Olympic Committees</a> since 2006, and has run the Olympic Council of Ireland since 1989. (He has temporarily stepped down from all of his positions in the wake of his arrest.)</p>
<p>Perhaps understandably, Hickey has a fondness for other long-serving European presidents. According to the website <a href="http://www.balls.ie/olympics/pat-hickey-a-spectacular-career-captured-in-spectacular-photos/343176">Balls.ie</a>, Hickey is chummy with Belarussian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. <a href="http://www.balls.ie/olympics/pat-hickey-a-spectacular-career-captured-in-spectacular-photos/343176">In 2015</a>, he “praised the development of the sports infrastructure in Belarus,” telling the long-serving dictator, “You have wonderful sports facilities and objects. This is because you go in for sport.” He hung out with Vladimir Putin at both the <a href="http://www.balls.ie/olympics/pat-hickey-a-spectacular-career-captured-in-spectacular-photos/343176">Sochi</a> and <a href="http://www.balls.ie/olympics/343103/343103">London</a> Games; in the runup to Rio, Hickey <a href="http://www.balls.ie/boxing/just-a-reminder-that-pat-hickey-was-an-influential-defender-of-the-russian-olympic-team/343053">loudly defended Russia</a> when other IOC members were considering banning the nation from the Rio Games in the wake of a state-sponsored doping scandal.</p>
<p>Also, <a href="http://www.balls.ie/olympics/343130/343130">he flew first class to Rio</a>, while the actual Irish Olympians traveled in coach.</p>
<p><strong>Why he might not be a jerk: </strong>First of all, it must be said that these are still just charges, and that nothing has been proved yet. If the charges do hold up, who can blame a fellow for wanting to make a little money on the side? And if “a little money” eventually turns into “a lot of money,” then, well, isn’t that the <em>true</em> meaning of Olympism? It’s not like he vandalized a gas station or anything.</p>
<p>Let’s look at the man’s accomplishments to see if we can find any mitigating factors here. Hickey holds a black belt in judo. That takes some work! There are relatively few lazy and shiftless black belts out there. In 2006, Hickey <a href="http://www.irishjudoassociation.ie/news/item/10-pat-hickey-elected-as-new-president-of-the-eoc">wrote in praise of</a> the “principles of Politeness, Courage, Sincerity, Self-Control, Honour, Modesty, Friendship and respect although difficult to apply all the time” that he had learned and internalized during his years as a judoka. Wouldn’t it be great if <em>more </em>people capitalized the word <em>politeness</em> to emphasize its importance?</p>
<p>Um, what else? He was <a href="http://www.eju.net/news?mode=showNewsItem&amp;id=1245&amp;portalId=21">knighted</a> by the French government for his services to the Olympic movement, and was the prime mover in <a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/other-sports/the-big-interview-pat-hickey-is-still-the-ringmaster-333682.html">bringing to life</a> the European Olympic Games. In 2015, the <em>Irish Examiner </em>proclaimed him “highly charming, affable. He uses your name liberally throughout the whole conversation.” Do jerks make a point of using their conversation partner’s name? Well, yes, they do; that’s a classic jerk move. Anyway: “He shows you around the highly impressive offices of the OCI and its many framed photographs and has an engaging anecdote for each one. For all his pressing schedule and all we’ve to cover in our interview, he makes time to ask about your own background and interests.” Well, that’s nice!</p>
<p>Finally, I would submit there is no real shame in hiding to avoid arrest. If anything, Hickey didn’t try hard enough to escape the Brazilian police. It’s not enough to just hide and be naked—why not grease yourself up, too? If they can’t hold on to you, they can’t cuff you.</p>
<p><strong>Jerk Score: </strong>I’ll give him 3 out of 3 for style, because his office contains many framed photographs. 3 out of 3 for technical merit, because it really does take a lot of skill to find something good to say about Alexander Lukashenko. 1.5 out of 3 for consistency, because as far as I know Hickey is a first-time alleged scalper. And 1 out of 1 in the category of “Did he get his wife to lie to the cops for him?” 8.5 out of 10 for Patrick Hickey.</p>
<p><strong><em>Previously in Olympics Jerk Watch:</em></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/05/michael_phelps_is_back_for_the_rio_games_is_he_a_jerk.html"><strong>The Return of Michael Phelps</strong></a></em></li>
<li><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/08/is_chinese_swimmer_sun_yang_the_biggest_jerk_of_the_rio_olympics.html"><strong>The Chinese Swimmer Who Kicks and Splashes People</strong></a></em></li>
<li><strong><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/09/what_s_the_best_part_of_the_clean_and_jerk_the_clean_or_the_jerk.html">What’s the Best Part of the Clean and Jerk, the Clean or the Jerk?</a></em></strong></li>
<li><strong><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/09/was_michael_phelps_a_jerk_when_he_beat_chad_le_clos_to_win_the_200_meter.html">Was Michael Phelps a Jerk When He Won the 200 Butterfly?</a></em></strong></li>
<li><strong><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/18/justin_gatlin_is_not_as_fast_as_usain_bolt_is_he_a_jerk.html">The Alleged Doper Who’s Not As Fast As Usain Bolt</a></em></strong></li>
<li><strong><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/18/ryan_lochte_allegedly_fabricated_a_brazilian_robbery_but_is_he_a_jerk.html">The Swimmer Who Allegedly Fabricated a Brazilian Robbery</a></em></strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/topics/r/rio_olympics.html">See more of Slate’s Olympics coverage.</a></em></strong></p>Sun, 21 Aug 2016 18:14:40 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/21/is_ireland_s_patrick_hickey_the_biggest_jerk_of_the_2016_rio_olympics.htmlJustin Peters2016-08-21T18:14:40ZSportsOlympics Jerk Watch: The Alleged Ticket-Scalping, Butt-Showing European Sporteaucrat226160821001rio olympicsJustin PetersFive-Ring CircusFive-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/21/is_ireland_s_patrick_hickey_the_biggest_jerk_of_the_2016_rio_olympics.htmlfalsefalsefalseOlympics Jerk Watch: the alleged ticket-scalping, butt-showing European sporteaucratIs Ireland's Patrick Hickey the biggest jerk of the 2016 Rio Olympics?Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty ImagesPatrick Hickey, president of the European Olympic Committees, during press conference on Nov. 5, 2014, in Bangkok, Thailand.Lochte Takes “Full Responsibility,” Says “My Immature Behavior” Led to Rio Incidenthttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/ryan_lochte_takes_full_responsibility_for_rio_incident.html
<p>Ryan Lochte acknowledged on Saturday what everyone already knows at this point: He is to blame for turning a late-night incident involving petty vandalism into an international scandal. In an <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-rio-summer-olympics/ryan-lochte-rio-incident-i-over-exaggerated-story-n635191">interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer</a>, the 12-time medalist said he is “taking full responsibility” for the incident.</p>
<p>In an excerpt of the interview broadcast Saturday, Lauer notes how the story changed within a few days. “The first version of the story you told, Ryan, was much more about the mean streets of Rio,” Lauer said. “And the version we're hearing now is much more about a negotiated settlement to cover up some dumb behavior.” That dumb behavior appears to consist of at least urinating in public and damaging a poster. Police have also said they vandalized a gas station restroom but the swimmers dispute that.</p>
<p>Lochte then acknowledged that he “overexaggerated that story and if I never did that, we wouldn't be in this mess.” If he hadn’t told his initial tale “none of this would have happened,” he added. “It was my immature behavior.”</p>
<p>Still, Lochte didn’t walk back completely, defending the way he has described himself and fellow swimmers as victims in the situation. “It’s how you want to make it look like. Whether you call it a robbery, whether you call it extortion or us paying just for the damages,” Lochte said. “All we know is there was a gun pointed in our direction and we were demanded to give money.”</p>
<p>He spoke a day after two of the swimmers who were there Sunday morning issued statements in which they essentially blamed Lochte <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/gunnar_bentz_and_jack_conger_say_ryan_lochte_played_key_role_in_rio_altercation.html">for instigating the conflict at the gas station</a>.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/topics/r/rio_olympics.html">Read more of Slate’s Olympics coverage.</a></em></p>Sun, 21 Aug 2016 01:38:00 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/ryan_lochte_takes_full_responsibility_for_rio_incident.htmlDaniel Politi2016-08-21T01:38:00ZSportsLochte Takes “Full Responsibility,” Says “My Immature Behavior” Led to Rio Incident226160820007rio olympicsDaniel PolitiFive-Ring CircusFive-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/ryan_lochte_takes_full_responsibility_for_rio_incident.htmlfalsefalsefalseLochte takes “full responsibility,” says “my immature behavior” led to Rio incident."I overexaggerated that story. And if I never did that, we wouldn't be in this mess."Screenshot/NBC NewsRyan Lochte talks to NBC’s Matt Lauer on Saturday.The Olympics’&nbsp;Most Entertaining Basketball Showman Plays for Serbiahttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/milo_teodosi_of_serbia_is_dominating_the_2016_olympics.html
<p>The U.S. didn’t send its best team. Ben Simmons decided not to play for Australia. Everyone on the Argentina roster is 80 years old. Spain’s pretty meh without Marc Gasol. And Serbia—Serbia has a point guard who’s turned the Rio Olympics into his own hoops mixtape. On Sunday, Miloš Teodosić will have the chance to win a gold medal against a bunch of Americans who are probably pretty happy that he’s never taken the opportunity to embarrass them in the NBA.</p>
<p>In Serbia’s 87-61 semifinal win over Australia, Teodosić scored 22 points, had five assists, and made the ridiculous pass above, a between-the-legs dish off the pick and roll. It was an amazing play, and it was not even close to Teodosić’s best highlight of the Olympics.</p>
<p>There was this one, in the closing minutes of Serbia’s 94-91 group-stage loss against the United States. It seems impossible that (a) he could see his open teammate at the three-point line and (b) that he could whip the ball backwards, behind his head, and have it reach said teammate at chest height. And yet.</p>
<p>But Teodosić’s best pass of the Olympics came against Venezuela. You might have to watch this video a couple of times to figure out which guy he picked out on the fast break.</p>
<p>The 29-year-old Teodosić isn’t just a flashy point guard. He’s a great one. This highlight reel shows his absolute mastery of pick-and-roll offense.</p>
<p>Now that that’s been established, let’s watch some more Miloš Teodosić highlights. This full-court underhanded parabola is positively Maravich-ian.</p>
<p>This no-looker is an absolute delight.</p>
<p>Fun!</p>
<p>If you’re in the mood for a longer highlight reel with some sick tunes in the background, here you go:</p>
<p>Natural follow-up question: Given that he invented basketball, why isn’t Miloš Teodosić in the NBA? According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, <a href="http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17309235/memphis-grizzlies-tried-sign-serbian-star-milos-teodosic-2013">the Memphis Grizzlies tried to sign him in 2013</a>, but their two-year, $5 million offer wasn’t enough to lure him away from European powerhouse CSKA Moscow.</p>
<p>Stein reports that Teodosić says playing in the NBA was his goal “a long time ago.” If he’d still like to give it a shot, <a href="http://nba.nbcsports.com/2016/08/16/report-serbian-star-milos-teodosic-expected-to-explore-nba-jump-next-summer/?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">his contract with CSKA expires next summer</a>, and he’ll likely have plenty of suitors. For his part, <a href="http://summergames.ap.org/node/388891">U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski calls him</a> “as good of a player, and as good of a guard, as there is in Europe.” Krzyzewski added, “I love him. We're friends.”</p>
<p>That friendship will be tested in Sunday’s gold-medal game. If he orchestrates an upset win over the United States, Teodosić will join Novak Djokovic as the greatest sportsman in Serbia’s history. If Serbia loses, he can take comfort in the fact that he turned what could’ve been a bummer of a tournament into a personal showcase. LeBron James is the best passer in the NBA for now. That title will belong to Miloš Teodosić as soon as he wants it.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/topics/r/rio_olympics.html"><strong>See more of Slate’s Olympics coverage.</strong></a></em></p>Sun, 21 Aug 2016 01:24:36 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/milo_teodosi_of_serbia_is_dominating_the_2016_olympics.htmlJosh Levin2016-08-21T01:24:36ZSportsThe Olympics’&nbsp;Most Entertaining Basketball Showman Plays for Serbia226160820006rio olympicsJosh LevinFive-Ring CircusFive-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/milo_teodosi_of_serbia_is_dominating_the_2016_olympics.htmlfalsefalsefalseThe Olympics’ most entertaining basketball showman plays for Serbia:Miloš Teodosić is winning the Olympics.Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty ImagesSerbia's guard Milos Teodosic (L) is blocked by Croatia's centre Darko Planinic during a Men's quarter final basketball match between Serbia and Croatia at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.Watch Neymar Score the Winning Penalty As Brazil Wins First-Ever Olympic Soccer Goldhttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/watch_neymar_score_the_winning_penalty_as_brazil_wins_first_ever_olympic.html
<p>Brazil had accomplished everything else in international soccer, including hoisting five World Cups since 1958, but had never won Olympic gold before Saturday. At home at the&nbsp;Maracan&atilde; Stadium, Brazil defeated Germany 5-4 on penalties, with Neymar burying the winning kick. The video above, shot inside the stadium, shows the home crowd was quite pleased with this outcome.</p>
<p>The win for the sele&ccedil;&atilde;o avenges (sort of) Brazil's famous 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semifinal. Here's a great series of shots showing Neymar's reaction immediately after bringing Brazil its most memorable victory of the Rio Games.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.slate.com/topics/r/rio_olympics.html"><strong>See more of Slate’s Olympics coverage.</strong></a></em></p>Sat, 20 Aug 2016 23:31:13 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/watch_neymar_score_the_winning_penalty_as_brazil_wins_first_ever_olympic.htmlJosh Levin2016-08-20T23:31:13ZSportsWatch Neymar Score the Winning Penalty As Brazil Wins First-Ever Olympic Soccer Gold226160820005rio olympicsJosh LevinFive-Ring CircusFive-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/watch_neymar_score_the_winning_penalty_as_brazil_wins_first_ever_olympic.htmlfalsefalsefalseWatch Neymar score the winning penalty as Brazil wins first-ever Olympic soccer gold:Brazil avenges devastating loss to Germany in 2014 World Cup.Photo by VANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty ImagesBrazil's forward Neymar shoots fromk the penalty spot past Germany's goalkeeper Timo Horn to score the winning goal following extra time during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games men's football gold medal match between Brazil and Germany at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016.Oh No, a Rhythmic Gymnast Just Did a Hoop Routine to the Theme from Schindler’s Listhttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/rhythmic_gymnast_neviana_vladinova_does_hoop_routine_to_theme_from_schindler.html
<p>While watching the rhythmic gymnastics all-around final this afternoon, I was struck by the music used by Bulgarian gymnast Neviana Vladinova in her hoop routine. The mournful violin seemed very familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. As I watched Vladinova twirl her hoop around her body and toss it high in the air, it came to me. <em>Oh, no</em>, I thought. <em>She’s performing to the theme from Schindler’s List. It’s back</em>.</p>
<p><em>Schindler’s List</em> is a very sad movie about the Holocaust. Its main theme, by composer John Williams, has somehow become a standard tune that figure skaters and gymnasts use in competition. At the 2014 Sochi Games, Russian figure skater Julia Lipnitskaia didn’t just set her long program to the <em>Schindler’s List </em>theme. She also dressed as the film’s iconic “girl in the red coat,” a young Jewish girl who is eventually murdered by Nazi soldiers.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2014/02/08/julia_lipnitskaia_sochi_olympics_why_do_figure_skaters_love_skating_to_the.html">Here’s what I wrote back then</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
From
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JESp-O0EwRY">Katarina Witt</a> to Irina Slutskaya to
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8N7kF_gvzI">Johnny Weir</a> himself, lots of great skaters have performed
<a href="http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/index.php?threads/skating-to-schindlers-list.88914/">routines set to the <em>Schindler’s List</em> theme</a>. These programs aren’t always well-received. As a
<a href="http://morozombie.blogspot.com/2014/02/girl-in-red.html">recent post</a> on the figure-skating blog Morozombie put it, it’s perhaps best to be “wary of attempts to portray the evils of the Holocaust and the suffering of the Jewish people on ice.”
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
And yet, skaters keep on skating to
<em>Schindler’s List</em>. Why does something that seems so vulgar strike the figure-skating community as the best idea ever?
</blockquote>
<p>Two years later, this musical choice still strikes me as bizarre. Perhaps I am in the minority here. “Exquisite choreography: the music lends itself toward these types of movements, and the choreography’s capitalizing on that,” one of the commentators on NBCOlympics.com’s rhythmic gymnastics livestream said of Vladinova’s routine. The judges didn’t love Vladinova's performance, though. She scored a 17.883 for her hoops routine, seventh out of 10 competitors in the rhythmic individual all-around competition.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.slate.com/topics/r/rio_olympics.html"><strong><em>See more of Slate’s Olympics coverage.</em></strong></a></p>Sat, 20 Aug 2016 20:02:11 GMThttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/rhythmic_gymnast_neviana_vladinova_does_hoop_routine_to_theme_from_schindler.htmlJustin Peters2016-08-20T20:02:11ZSportsOh No, a Rhythmic Gymnast Just Did a Hoop Routine to the Theme from
<em>Schindler’s List</em>226160820004rio olympicsJustin PetersFive-Ring CircusFive-Ring Circushttp://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2016/08/20/rhythmic_gymnast_neviana_vladinova_does_hoop_routine_to_theme_from_schindler.htmlfalsefalsefalseOh no, a rhythmic gymnast just did a hoop routine to the theme from Schindler’s List:“Exquisite choreography: the music lends itself toward these types of movements, and the choreography’s capitalizing on that,” said NBC’s commentator.1519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50921947310011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50921947310011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO50921947310011519028538001AQ~~,AAAAAASoY90~,_gW1ZHvKG_1U0LqDiRqg6y9siD7-Z_bO5092194731001Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesNeviana Vladinova of Bulgaria competes during the women's individual all-around rhythmic gymnastics final on Day 15 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena on August 20, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.